“That’s my grandpa” the comment on my post read. May Kaela Lavelais included a screenshot from google of the page in our book We Fought the Road that talked about Willie Lavelais.
Link to another story “Men of the 93rd”
When Captain sent Willie with Lt. Dudrow’s platoon on a quick side job, he didn’t know he gave the platoon a gift. The platoon needed a cook. Lavalais cooked.
The soldiers of the 93rd Engineers working out of Carcross would have to cross the Tagish River and to do that they needed the services and equipment of a pontoon company stationed at Whitehorse fifty miles north. An old wagon road connected Whitehorse and Carcross, but it couldn’t handle a towed pontoon raft. Colonel Johnson ordered Captain Pollock to send a platoon to upgrade the old road and Pollock dispatched Dudrow’s platoon—and Willie Lavalais.
Working with hand tools, hauling their supplies and equipment in a 1 ½ ton truck, the platoon set out toward Whitehorse. After only a mile of slimy, rutted mud the road made its way toward the world’s smallest desert—642 acres.
Pvt. Willie Lavalais went to the Alaska Highway in 1942 in Captain Pollock’s company of the 93rd. He worked in the company mess and thanks to the Captain, for ten days he fed the men of the third platoon. A cheerful Louisiana Cajun, Pvt Lavalais turned out unbelievable pies and biscuits. Dudrow called his men by their rank—except for Lavalais who was “Willie”. And Dudrow said later that Willie single-handedly gave the difficult experience of the men of Company B a silver lining.
Three years ago May Kayla Lavelais typed her grandpa’s name into Google. That’s my Grandpa.